


Salt and Pepper

by greettheworld



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-03 21:19:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17885396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greettheworld/pseuds/greettheworld
Summary: After the recent announcement of 'Costume Day', Cyrus got invited by TJ for partnered costumes.





	1. White

“Friday!?” Buffy exclaimed. “That’s not nearly enough time to prepare.”

Andi, Buffy, Cyrus and Jonah was sitting together at the Spoon when a reminder coming from the principal, Dr. Metcalf, arrived. It stated that the upcoming Friday would be costume day. Unfortunately for the students of Jefferson Middle School, being a Wednesday, none of them had the time to prepare.

“I know,” Cyrus agreed. “Besides, what are we going to dress up as anyway?”

Andi looked at the other three, then suddenly, a bright idea flashed. “Hello! guys,” Andi, with a quick wit, said. “We know what we’re gonna be.”

“Mount Rushmore,” Andi said slowly and smiled.

Without any other solutions they can think of, the rest of them were inclined to agree.

“Alright. We’re in,” Buffy said.

“Great!” Andi happily exclaimed. “Don’t worry! I’ll take care of the costumes.”

-

On his way home, TJ crossed paths with Cyrus. He started briskly walking and eventually, he was able catch up to Cyrus.

“Cyrus,” TJ said as he caught up with Cyrus. “What do you got going for costume day?”

“Costume day?” Amused by the TJ’s apparent fascination with costume day, Cyrus can’t help but smile. “You don’t strike me as a costume day guy,” he said to play it cool.

“Well,” TJ nervously remarked. “I was thinking maybe we can wear matching costumes,” he suggested. Giddy, but embarrassed, he said, “What if we go as salt and pepper shakers.” He couldn’t stop giggling at the silliness of his own idea.

Cyrus, on the other hand, is smiling at how adorable TJ was acting. Also for the fact that this was the first time someone, other than Andi and Buffy, asked him to wear matching clothes with him. He was ecstatic.

“Cyrus?” TJ asked.

He snapped out of his trance.

“Oh. Ummm… Yeah- I-” Cyrus was speechless. Despite knowing his deal with Andi earlier, Cyrus really wanted to do it. He knew it’s going to be one of the few times he get to actually spend time with TJ. “Maybe I can talk to Andi about it later,” he thought.

“Sure!” Cyrus said gleefully.

“Yeah?” TJ smiled. “I know a guy that makes t-shirts. I’ll request a pair for us.”

“I’ll be salt!” Cyrus volunteered.

“Okay. Okay.” TJ giggled. “I’ll be pepper then. I’ll be black with a huge white ‘P’ in it.”

“I’ll give the shirt to you tomorrow, okay?” TJ said.

“Okay.”

-

Not knowing how to approach the situation, Cyrus wasn’t able to ask Andi about the ‘Mount Rushmore’ thing she had in mind. He spent the night overthinking, so in the end, he just lost sleep and gained nothing from it.

-

In the morning, he met up with Buffy. She was the only person Cyrus has the confidence to confide all of his secrets.

“Here’s the thing,” he said. “Do you think Andi would still be my friend if I bail from Mount Rushmore?”

“Quick answer: No,” Buffy said, short and straight to the point.

As they were walking, they came across TJ, seemingly in a hurry. “Underdog,” he said. “Here’s your shirt for tomorrow.” He handed Cyrus a plain white shirt with a large, black “S” printed on the front. Without waiting for a reply, he said, “Gotta go. I’m meeting with the boys.”

Buffy, confused, waited for a moment for TJ be out of their sight, then turned her attention to Cyrus. “What was that about?” she asked.

“I-” Cyrus stuttered. “I kinda told TJ that we could partner up for tomorrow.”

“We agreed on Andi’s plan, remember?”

“That’s what I asked you whether Andi would be alright if I changed plans.”

“You know how strongly Andi would feel about this,” Buffy exclaimed.

“Buffy,” Cyrus, dismayed, said, “This is the first someone thought of ME to be their partner.”

He took a deep breath and gave up.

“Cyrus…”

“Okay,” he sighed deeply. “We have first period together. I’ll tell him after class.”

-

“Can we talk for a moment?” Cyrus asked TJ as they walking out of the classroom.

“Anything,” TJ said with a bright smile on his face.

“I-” Cyrus took a deep breath. “I kinda already agreed to with Andi and the others for a group costume for tomorrow before you asked, and…”

TJ’s smile turned to immediately flat. He knew what Cyrus was going to say, but he let him continue.

“I don’t really want to disappoint Andi,” Cyrus, ashamed, said. “I REALLY want to be your partner. This means a lot to me, but…”

Cyrus reached in his bag and grabbed the neatly folded shirt. He brushed it off before returning it to TJ. “I’m sorry,”he said. Frustrated, though, the other boy just shook his head, turned his back and walked away. Cyrus wanted to follow him, but he didn’t know what else to say.

For the rest of the day, TJ was obviously, actively avoiding Cyrus. Despite Cyrus’s efforts to apologize again, it was met with disregard.

-

After school at the spoon, the Good Hair Crew, including Jonah met up. Andi confided that they had an issue at their home, and that she was preoccupied to do anything about their costume. They tried brainstorming, but alas, they can’t think of anything good given the free time they have. In the end, they agreed that they’d just do their own thing. “It’s for the best,” Andi admitted.

Despite his disappointment that their group costume didn’t work out, it felt even worse if they confided with each other about it. In the end, Cyrus felt a little relief thinking he can properly make it up for TJ.

For the rest of the evening, Cyrus tried contacting TJ, but he didn’t respond once. Thinking about it, TJ never missed a call or text from Cyrus - this is a first. Though worried, he rested his eyes hoping tomorrow will be better.

-

Friday. Costume day.

Cyrus rolled up to school, sporting an all white attire and his ‘salt’ shirt.

Walking through the hallway, Cyrus spotted TJ by his lockers. He stopped in his tracks and squinted. TJ’s not wearing his ‘P’ shirt, but instead he’s wearing a white shirt with ‘Baller’ written on it. Cyrus admitted to himself that TJ might still be mad about yesterday. It’s a good time to talk to him.

Slowly, Cyrus started walking towards TJ. He wanted to grab his attention. “T-” Before he could finish, another voice, overshadowed his.

“TJ!”

It came from the other side of the hallway. Cyrus took a closer look - it was Kira, who, apparently, wears the same style of shirt as TJ.

“Oh,” Cyrus gets it.

Kira, seemingly in a hurry, grabs TJ’s hands, and briskly started walking to Cyrus’s direction. Cyrus couldn’t do anything but watch as they moved closer and closer.

Eventually, the two crossed paths. Without even a look from TJ, Cyrus can’t do much, but gaze on the boy. He hated the feeling of being ignored. As they were walking away, the only thing Cyrus could do is look back to him with regret. Maybe he should have done things differently.

With a deep breath, he wistfully continued on to class.


	2. Green

Fourth period: Cyrus and TJ are in the same class. Since he was feeling disconsolate, Cyrus withdrawn from meeting Buffy, Andi & Jonah the entire day, and went straight to his classes.

As he entered the classroom, he noticed he was the first one there. He went to his usual seat and slumped over, nervous of what will happen when TJ arrives. Cyrus rested his palms on his cheeks, covering his face. He felt cold sweat permeate throughout his entire body. He immediately knew what was happening. “You need to calm down,” he thought to himself.

The bell rang. The ringing was never loud enough that it would bother Cyrus - not this time. It was pretty much the same as any other time of any other day, but this time, it made him irate. He impulsively started tapping his desk with his sweat covered fingers. His breath was short and staggered. He watched the doors as his classmates entered the room, waiting for a certain someone to arrive.

After a minute or so, TJ entered the room. Usually, the two of them would sit together, so Cyrus waited for TJ to sit beside him. As Cyrus observed TJ walking closer, he noticed the boy return a glance, but immediately diffused. TJ continued walking, passed on his usual seat, surprising Cyrus. TJ continued walking to the back of the room. He angrily signalled another kid to switch seats with him. Intimidated, the other kid obliged.

As the class continued, Cyrus became more agitated and irate. Despite trying his hardest, couldn’t focus to a single word the teacher was saying. This is the first time he felt this bad. 

Cyrus kept looking back at TJ, hoping something would happen. Even a scoff from TJ would’ve been enough, but alas, it was as if he wasn’t there, which for Cyrus, felt worse.

For what felt like hours, finally, the class ended. It was time for lunch break. Cyrus zoomed out of the room, immediately looking for his friends. Fortunately, he came across Buffy on her way to the cafeteria.

“Cyrus!” Buffy exclaimed. “What’s happened?”

“It’s kinda hot, you know?” Cyrus replied, still panting. “Why did they turn the heater so high?”

Buffy didn’t believe a word he just said. He forced Cyrus to sit by the table, trying to calm him down while they waited for Andi and Jonah to arrive.

“Did you, by any chance, bring any spare shirt?” Buffy asked, worried about Cyrus’s sweat-drenched shirt.

Cyrus shook his head.

After a few minutes, Andi and Jonah arrived together. They immediately got concerned when they say Cyrus. “What happened?” Andi asked.

“I had a panic attack in the middle of class,” he said quietly.

“Why?” Buffy asked. “Did something happen?”

Cyrus closed his eyes and, again, shook his head. The three of them let it go and just accepted the answer.

“Here,” Andi said as she reached inside her bag. “You need to change your shirt.”

She pulled out a green hoodie and offered it to Cyrus. He noticed that Andi was wearing a red hoodie with a large “A” on it, while Jonah wore a blue one.

Cyrus was a little hesitant - he wanted to continue wearing the shirt, but in the end, he grabbed the hoodie and thanked Andi. He immediately went to the bathroom to change. 

Cyrus returned to the table, wearing his new hoodie. He decided to open up to his friends about the panic attack, or, more specifically, why he thinks it happened. “Im-” he paused. “I’m jealous.”

Everyone looked at him in shock and confusion.

“What do you mean?” Jonah asked.

“Jealous of who?” Andi followed up.

Then a certain someone caught Cyrus’s attention. TJ passed by them, walking with Kira. Buffy noticed what was happening, and then she was able to piece it together.

“This is about TJ, isn’t it?” Buffy asked.

Cyrus deeply sighed and nodded.  
“Why would he be jealous of TJ?” Jonah asked.

Buffy glared at him for missing the obvious. “He’s not jealous OF TJ,” Buffy spelt it out.

Both Andi and Jonah was then got it. “Oh…” they said in unison.

“They were supposed to be wearing partnered costumes together,” Buffy said. “...but Cyrus here didn’t tell TJ about our supposed group costume. TJ gave him his shirt yesterday, hoping they can wear theirs today.”

Cyrus continued, “I didn’t really wanna make you mad, so I told him I’ll do Mount Rushmore with you guys instead, and he just walked away.”

“But I canceled last minute,” Andi said. “So you wore what TJ gave you instead.”

Cyrus nodded. “I tried calling him to talk, but he wasn’t answering his phone.”

“I feel bad because it’s partly my fault,” Andi admitted. “I should’ve told you guys about it sooner.”

“How do you wanna make it up for him?” Jonah asked.

“I don’t know,” Cyrus said. “He hasn’t acknowledged me the entire morning.”

“It angers me that he ignores YOU of all people,” Buffy said, pretending to get mad. “I’m sure he feels bad as much as you do,” she said sympathetically.

-

After school, Cyrus decided to pass by the swings at the park. He wanted to swing out his feelings before going home.

As he was walking, he noticed TJ, alone, slouched on a bench shaded by a tree. His eyes was closed while his head was facing upwards. Cyrus walked closer and closer, but TJ was still. He sat beside TJ, thinking this is a perfect opportunity to talk to him.

TJ opened his eyes, and leveled his head. He felt someone beside him - he looked to his left. He saw Cyrus, looking straight at him. For a moment, the two them just stared at each other, motionless.

“Can we talk?” Cyrus started to speak. “I’m sorry about yesterday.” 

“You could’ve just been honest to me,” TJ said. “Or a no would’ve worked too.”

“If you want me to be honest: You’re the first person, aside from Andi and Buffy, to ask me to partner costumes with - that’s a big deal for me,” Cyrus said. “So when you asked me, I couldn’t be happier. I would never say no to that.”

TJ softened up after hearing him out. He just nodded in reply.

Through pure impulse, Cyrus rested his head on TJ’s shoulder. The latter looked at him.

“I’m sorry for getting mad.”

Cyrus just shook his head.

“I was being selfish,” TJ said.

“At least you got to partner with someone in the last minute.”

“It was her idea. I hate it though.”

“Are you guys…” Cyrus paused for a moment. “Are you guys dating?”

TJ rested his head on Cyrus’s and closed his eyes again. “No.”

The two sat there quietly taking in the moment.

“How you feeling?” TJ asked. “You were restless during class.”

“I’m fine now.”

“May I know what happened?”

“I had a panic attack in the middle of class.”

Tj raised his head. “Why didn’t you tell Mr. Miller?”

“I didn’t want to bother anyone.”

“What it because of me?”

Cyrus raised his head and looked at TJ. “That’s very pretentious of you,” Cyrus accused, smiling. “I just never thought of you getting mad at me. It made me felt agitated.”

“Sorry,” TJ apologized. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

“And I’ll be more honest next time.”

The two of them stood up from the bench. TJ reached out both of his hand. “Friends?”

Cyrus slowly stepped closer. He wrapped his arms around TJ’s chest, squeezing him tightly. “Friends,” he replied. The other reciprocated and eventually his arms were also around Cyrus. They both took a deep breath before letting go.

They looked at each other again, and smiled.

“Spoon?” TJ invited. “My treat.”

Cyrus , elated, smiled and shrugged.

With TJ closely beside him, the two of them gleefully went on their way.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: greettheworld  
> instagram: @stugs92


End file.
